Surface Decontamination

Bleaching. Ultraviolet treatment. Autoclaving. To the average molecular biologist, eliminating nuclease contamination, particularly ribonuclease (RNase) contamination, is a constant and somewhat annoying challenge. RNA is an especially sensitive and difficult molecule to work with, as it is readily degraded. Therefore, it is essential that labware, instruments, and surfaces involved in the purification of RNA are free from RNases. Even trace quantities of RNases can lead to lower yields from in vitro transcription reactions, degradation during RNA purification protocols, and variable results with qRT-PCR.

All surfaces, including benchtops, pipettes, glassware, and benchtop instruments, should be treated with a surface decontamination agent. Life Technologies offers several surface decontamination products that are proven effective at eliminating RNase contamination from lab surfaces—RNaseZap® Solution, RNaseZap® Wipes, ElectroZap™ Solution, and RNase AWAY® Reagent.